It has been freezing hard in the Netherlands for almost a week now and … There is a lot of snow! It has been years since we have had that and most Dutch people love it. The whole country is going nuts and it’s of course also a welcome distraction from the lockdown we are currently in.
I also happily participate in this winter fun and, like most people here in the Netherlands, I hope that the ice will become so thick that we can go for some serious ice skating on one of the canals, lakes or whatever else there is natural ice!
I love this type of weather and I wouldn’t mind if it lasted until the end of the month. That’s of course not going to happen, but for now, I go out every day for a long walk and what could be better than to end the day with a true winter dram by a lovely fire to warm up after another great cold day outside.
Normally I lean more towards the bourbon aged whiskies, but for these days I am often looking for a slightly different profile. And this Aberlour 13 year old is the perfect dram for that, because as expected this is a real sherry bomb. This single cask bottling has matured in a 1st fill sherry butt and is bottled at a strength of 57.7% ABV. That sounds promising, doesn’t it? So let’s taste!
Aberlour 13 year old tasting notes:
Nose: Sherrybomb galore! Plenty of dried fruits, such as raisins, dates and plums. A good drop of honey. Orange marmalade, followed by tobacco leaves. Water brings out more of the oranges and a faint wood note. Leather. Cranberries and blueberries. Caramel fudge too.
Taste: Sweet and creamy at first, with honey, raisins and dark chocolate. Toffee. A hint of balsamic vinegar. Gingerbread in the background. It’s a little bit oaky. Then it goes towards some lovely winter spices, such as black peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. A few drops of water make it less spicy and adds caramel fudge.
Finish: long with the same spices. Oak and raisins.
Very pleasant sherry bomb from Aberlour, which is a step up from the A’Bunadh. So if you appreciate that kind of profile, this one is definitely worth a try. Quite tasty and a real winter dram.
